Denver’s air ranked as the worst in the world Saturday afternoon as the air quality index reached 192, according to IQAir, a website that ranks air pollution in major cities. 

Wildfire smoke exacerbates health conditions, contributes to more deaths, and it's getting worse

The Mile High City sat atop cities such as Johannesburg, Dubai and Delhi. But  the poor air conditions didn’t keep people from walking around the 16th Street Mall and downtown. 

James Cecil who was accompanied by his sister, Chloe, left Tattered Cover Bookstore near McGregor Square Saturday morning and were surprised at how the conditions worsened in 20 minutes.

“I walked out and I told her, ‘Wow, it’s gotten way worse since we got here,'” Cecil said.

Hazy and smoky conditions in Denver and portions of the Front Range worsened on Saturday after an upper level low pressure system moved into the areas where fires such as the Dixie Fire in California and other portions of the Pacific Northwest and Canada continue to burn. The system has since moved east into Colorado, said Russell Danielson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder.

“That system is right over us now, which is why conditions are worse today than the past few,” Danielson said.

The Colorado Department of Public Health issued an action day from Douglas County up Interstate 25 to Larimer and Weld Counties due to the poor conditions. 

Smoky air will impact Denver, Front Range for foreseeable future, experts say

Additionally, officials urge all people — even without outlying health conditions — to remain indoors on these sort of days.

“We definitely don’t recommend going for a long run or something like that, but if you have health concerns you should be inside,” Danielson said. “This could be dangerous, especially if you have a lung condition or anything like that.”

Denver resident Dave Caprera said he began feeling the affects of the smoke and haziness on Thursday when he went for a three-mile run.

“I went on a run and not a hard one, but once I got home I had an asthma attack,” Caprera said while drinking coffee outside of the Milk Market. “My wife is a doctor at St. Joe’s and her diagnosis is I can’t run in the current air conditions.”

Katie Beechen who was visiting Denver from Dallas with her friend, Miranda, said this is the worst conditions they’ve ever seen. 

“I’m worried I might lose my voice or develop a cough if I’m out in this too long,” Beechen said. 

Conditions in Denver and along the Front Range may slightly improve, but the quality of air will still be poor, Danielson said.

“It’s tough coming from such a bad day of smoke to say it’s improving or be better really, because if we hadn’t had today; tomorrow and Monday would still be some of the smokiest days of the summer,” he said. 

But despite slight improvements, hazy and smoky conditions could become the new normal until the end of the fire season. Dan Welsch, an air quality meteorologist with the state health department, told The Denver Gazette last week that bad conditions will persist until the fires to the west become more contained.

“Current projections are unfortunately showing more of the same for at least the foreseeable future,” Welsh said.